Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo says he plans to have a conversation with Chicago Bulls GM Gar Forman after being benched for the second straight game.

Rondo was benched for the entire second half of the Bulls’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday after going scoreless in the first half with three fouls and a minus-20 in the plus/minus category. On Saturday, he was benched yet again in favor of Michael Carter-Williams, who scored just six points. The Bulls lost the game by 20 to the Bucks 116-96 as Rondo did not see any minutes.

Following the game, Rondo was asked about his benching and says he will talk with Forman about it.

Rajon Rondo said he and Gar Forman are going to talk soon. Didn't rule out asking for a trade or buyout if this benching is permanent.

Rondo is averaging 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season. His 36.9 shooting percentage is by far the worst of his career.

After eight-plus mostly successful seasons in Boston to start his career, Rondo is now on his third new team in three seasons and has worn out his welcome in each successive stop. He even was suspended this season for reportedly throwing a towel at an assistant coach.

Rondo’s stay in Chicago may not last much longer the way things are going.

The Chicago Bulls have suspended Rajon Rondo for Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and those who have followed Rondo’s career are not surprised by the reason.

According to several reports, Rondo got into a heated argument with an assistant coach both during and after his team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Chris Kuc and K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune provided more details of the spat, and it turns out Rondo may have caused things to escalate by throwing a towel at the coach.

Rondo had an emotional exchange with associate head coach Jim Boylen during and after Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks, according to a source. One source said Rondo threw a towel in the direction of Boylen during the game, although that couldn’t be confirmed by a second source.

The report also states that Rondo quickly apologized to the team and met with head coach Fred Hoiberg to discuss the incident on Sunday. He then attended a holiday party with some teammates and members of the organization, so it sounds like there are no hard feelings.

When asked about the incident after Monday’s shootaround, Jimmy Butler came to Rondo’s defense.

“I think this is just another bump in the road,” Butler said. “He’s a phenomenal damn teammate and I back him on everything. These things happen and when things happen you handle it the way you’re supposed to handle it. I think we all love Rondo. I know I do. He’s been a great mentor to me, he’s made me a much better basketball player.”

Rondo has a history of disagreeing with coaches, and most people immediately thought of all the issues he had with his last coach when hearing that the point guard has been suspended. Perhaps the most recent incident was nothing serious, but it will not help Rondo’s reputation as a player who is difficult to coach.

All-time three-point king Ray Allen officially announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday, but that wasn’t news to his former Boston Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo.

The 41-year-old Allen, who played for 18 seasons in the league, confirmed that he was stepping away from the game in a letter to his younger self in The Players’ Tribune. But considering that Allen hadn’t played since the 2013-14 season, the news was a mere formality for some, including Rondo.

When asked about his reaction to the retirement of his former teammate, Rondo dropped the following line, per Sean Highkin of The Athletic:

Allen and Rondo were teammates for five seasons in Boston, winning the 2008 NBA Championship together. But the two supposedly had an icy relationship and saw their time together end awkwardly when Allen signed with the rival Miami Heat in 2012 and won another title there.

Rondo, who is now a member of the Chicago Bulls, has alluded to the friction between him and Allen in the past. While Rondo may have been giving a bit of a tongue-in-cheek remark on Tuesday, bygones still don’t appear to be bygones now that Allen is officially hanging up his sneakers.

Okay, so it’s not perfect. Nothing would be. But that’s the best you can do given the circumstances.

This person is clearly just applying Enes Kanter’s jersey-recycling advice to their own team. It’s probably not going to change the minds of people like this, though. Come on, Heat fans. If you try hard enough, you could probably turn those Dwyane Wade jerseys into Goran Dragic ones.

Rondo certainly sounds confident, and why wouldn’t he? The Bulls, however, have an unusual dilemma. Three ball-dominant guards who do not shoot well from deep is going to be a big issue for Chicago. There are solutions – there have been some rumblings that the Bulls would still be willing to listen to offers for Butler – but that may have changed with the addition of Wade. Coach Fred Hoiberg has a difficult job ahead of him.

Rondo is coming off a one-year stint in Sacramento, where he averaged a double double in the form of 11.9 points and 11.7 assists per game. He’s a ready-made Rose replacement for a Bulls team that doesn’t appear willing to commit to a full rebuild. A backcourt pairing of Rondo and Jimmy Butler is dynamic and talented, but one wonders how they’ll both get enough touches to be successful and happy.